Harley and I had our whole lives planned out, until her plans changed, and those plans didn’t include me.

After years spent trying to get the love of my life out of my head and repair my too-damaged heart, I thought I was finally moving on…but life sure has a funny way of letting you know when those best-laid plans are about to be turned upside down.

My entire world was rocked when Harley unexpectedly moved back to Oak Springs. Every miserable moment I’d spent trying to get over her and every hour I’d wasted trying to erase her from my life came back to haunt me the minute she walked into my office, fear in her eyes, and asked me for help. Would I…or better yet, could I walk away from her this time after all that she had put me through?

What I really needed to know is would I be able to forge ahead with the future I had so meticulously planned—one that didn’t include Harley—or will her return finally open my eyes to a future full of endless possibilities?

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EXCERPT

Once I turned the corner I ran into something solid and knew I had spoken too soon.

“Harley? Darling, what are you doing?”

Taking a step back, I looked up into the deepest of blue eyes. They almost left me breathless.

John Parker. The man was the older image of all of his five sons. Handsome. Built. And a smile that made your knees week.

“Oh shit,” I mumbled.

“Hell, shit, fuck,” Chloe whispered next to me.

“Chloe Lynn!” John said.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

My eyes darted to Tripp.

Great. Just great.

“Oh hey. I was, um, just showing Chloe your new puppy.”

Tripp’s eyes about popped out of his head. Of course, the little rascal who had started all of this was standing next to me giggling.

“Ah. Come again?” Tripp asked.

“You got a dog, Tripp? That’s amazing,” John said as he turned and smiled big. “I’ve been telling him for years he needed a dog.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Well, he’s got a cute one!”

“Wait. What?” Tripp said as he shot daggers at me.

“Who’s got a cute what?” Trevor asked, walking in behind Tripp and his father. Of course, the whole damn family would be walking through the very door I was trying to escape out of. We would have been better off going out the front door.

“Tripp’s got a new puppy!” Chloe called out as I hit her on the arm as a warning.

“Wait!” Tripp cried.

I panicked and did the only thing I could think of. I unwrapped the puppy and shoved it in Trevor’s face. When he was little he was a sucker for a cute puppy; I was hoping things hadn’t changed.

“Oh, my gosh! Look at this little guy,” Trevor said in a baby voice as he took the puppy from my hands.

“Great, you want him? He’s yours,” Tripp said.

“It’s a girl!” Chloe said with a clap of her hands. I hit her a few times to get her to take it back a few. We weren’t out of the woods yet.

“Aww, he’s so cute. Don’t worry, Tripp. I won’t steal your girl.” Trevor looked at me when he said that and winked, causing my cheeks to heat up.

“Now wait a second here,” Tripp started. I knew I had to cut him off.

“Tripp mentioned he wanted a hound dog, and when I saw this little girl in town, well, I had to get her.”

I could feel angry eyes on me, but I kept going.

“I mean, she was the last puppy and I felt so bad, I had to take her.” Looking at Tripp, I motioned with my head to Chloe, hoping he would catch on. “He was afraid y’all might be mad if she was in the house so I was fixin’ to take her to the barn.”

“What? Nonsense. Tripp, we don’t mind your puppy being in the house,” John stated.

“Hell, Patches is always in the house,” Trevor said with a deep rumbling laugh.

John sighed and lifted his cowboy hat to run his hand through his dark hair. A sigh of resignation escaped his lips.

“What’s her name, Tripp?” Trevor asked.

Chloe grabbed onto my hand and squeezed it hard as I held my breath.

It felt like forever before Tripp finally spoke. “Hemingway’s Whiskey. Hemi, for short.”

I pinched my brows together as I tried to figure out how in the hell he came up with that name off the top of his head. I knew it was a Kenny Chesney song, and Tripp liked his Kenny Chesney. But Hemi?

“What the hell kind of name is that for a girl?” Trevor asked.

Tripp forced a smile. “The moment I found out the dog was mine, I wanted to drink a fifth of whiskey.”

Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings.

Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Unconditional Love, to name just a few.

Kelly has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November of 2012.

Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings.

To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website.